The president initially scoffed at the coronavirus. Now he seems convinced he can lead – and secure four more years in November
Bill Clinton used to lament that his time as US president was broadly peaceful, and lacked a historic test of his mettle. Donald Trump believes that his moment has arrived: a crisis on a par with leading a nation at war.
Related: Lay off those war metaphors, world leaders. You could be the next casualty… | Simon Tisdall
Continue reading...David Plouffe went to the White House with Obama then predicted a Clinton victory. Has he learned from that reverse? Have we?
On Tuesday, Joe Biden and his juggernaut left Bernie Sanders’ dream in tatters. The former vice-president swept primaries in Arizona, Florida and Illinois. Fact: Sanders looks a lot less appealing without Hillary Clinton to kick around.
Related: MBS review: why Trump and the west took a pass on the Khashoggi killing
Continue reading...Officials say the economic package could pump $2tn into the US economy which would provide paychecks and funds to hospitals
Negotiators from Congress and the White House resumed top-level talks Saturday on a ballooning $1tn-plus economic rescue package, urged by Donald Trump to strike a deal to steady a nation thoroughly upended by the coronavirus pandemic.
It was an extraordinary moment in Washington: Congress undertaking the most ambitious federal effort yet to shore up households and the US economy and a president angry and lashing out at all comers. All while the global outbreak and the nationwide shutdown grip an anxious, isolated population bracing for a healthcare crisis and looming recession.
Continue reading...Former presidential candidate will also transfer offices in six battleground states to help defeat Trump
Mike Bloomberg is transferring $18m (£15.5m) from his presidential campaign to the Democratic National Committee in the largest single such transfer ever made.
The largesse is the latest sign of the billionaire businessman’s continued involvement in the presidential race since ending his own campaign this month after a lacklustre showing on Super Tuesday. In the 3 March primaries the former New York city mayor won only one US territory.
Continue reading...After the 2010 Haitian earthquake, we saw the US military in action as a humanitarian force. They can do this
In 2010, a devastating earthquake hit Haiti. In three minutes it killed more than 200,000 people and displaced two million more.
Our humanitarian aid organization, the Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), was on the ground in Haiti. In Haiti – as well as on the front lines of other disasters, like Hurricane Florence in North Carolina and Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas just a few months ago – we saw how dangerous inaction and political paralysis can be, and how rapid mobilization saves lives. In a crisis, every minute – every second – counts.
Continue reading...Donald Trump has hit out at NBC's Peter Alexander after the reporter asked the president if he was being too positive about drugs and therapies that have not been clinically trialled to help with Covid-19. Trump defended his approach and said the journalist asked a 'nasty question', calling him a 'terrible reporter'. He also attacked NBC and Comcast
Continue reading...Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, has announced the closure of the border as Donald Trump warned against 'mass, uncontrolled cross-border movement'.
The announcement comes two days after officials said the US-Canada border would similarly ban all non-essential travel as the pandemic continues. Pompeo also urged all Americans to stay in the country or immediately return home if they are abroad.
Here’s where the day stands so far:
Well, that was an eventful daily coronavirus briefing. Here are some of the highlights:
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Connecticut has become the latest state to announce it is moving its presidential primary, which was originally scheduled to take place on April 28.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said the primary would instead take place on June 2.
In coordination with other states and our Secretary of the State, and in an effort to carry out Democracy while keeping public health a top priority, I have decided to move our presidential primary to June 2nd. I will provide more information later today. #COVID19 #2020Primaries
The State Department’s Level 4 advisory on all international travel comes a week after the government issued a Level 3 advisory, which urged Americans to reconsider their travel plans.
A number of Americans are already trying to get back home from countries like Guatemala, which has implemented harsh restrictions on flights going into and out of the country.
Continue reading...The US president has sought to deflect criticism of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic by attacking China and the media over their coverage of it. Speaking at his daily taskforce briefing, Trump accused Beijing of suppressing early information about the spread of the virus in Wuhan, and the media of corruption. ‘They’re siding with China,’ he said. ‘It’s more than fake news; it’s corrupt news’
Continue reading...The Covid-19 outbreak is forcing politicians and central bankers to set aside ideology and orthodoxy to prevent a global collapse
It is as if the lights have been switched off. The global economy has been plunged into darkness as countries hunker down in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most recessions develop gradually over time. When the last one started in 2008 it took the Bank of England six months to spot it. This time it is different. Then it was a financial virus, this time it is the real thing. Commentators often say the economy is hitting the wall or is falling off a cliff on the weakest of evidence. Today the cliches are horrifyingly true.
Continue reading...Officials say proposed 38,000-tonne sea barrier could damage sand dunes at Doonbeg resort
The climate crisis just became more personal for Donald Trump, after authorities in Ireland rejected an attempt by his Doonbeg golf resort to build a wall to combat rising sea levels.
The planning agency An Bord Pleanála said on Wednesday that the proposed 38,000-tonne rock barrier at Doughmore Bay could damage dunes that straddle the golf course in County Clare, on the Atlantic coast.
Continue reading...The US president has dismissed accusations that his use of the term 'Chinese virus' to refer to the coronavirus is racist. Speaking at his daily coronavirus taskforce briefing, he said it was 'not racist at all. It comes from China; I want to be accurate.' The World Health Organization has advised against terms that link the virus to China to avoid stigmatisation
News of Bernie Sanders assessing his campaign comes after Joe Biden made an overture to Sanders supporters last night.
In a video following Biden’s wins, Biden said he and Sanders shared common goals on regarding healthcare, inequality and the climate crisis.
“So let me say especially to the young voters who have been inspired by Senator Sanders, I hear you. I know what to stake, [...]
I know what we have to do. Our goal is as a campaign, and my goal as a candidate for president is to unify this party, and then to unify the nation.
The Sanders’s campaign has just issued the following statement via campaign manager Faiz Shakir:
The next primary contest is at least three weeks away. Sen. Sanders is going to be having conversations with his supporters to assess his campaign. In the immediate term, however, he is focused on the government response to the coronavirus outbreak and ensuring that we take care of working people the most vulnerable
Continue reading...Joe Biden’s latest string of victories prompts renewed calls for senator to call it quits for the national good
For more than three years it seemed impossible to millions of Americans that anything could be more important than voting for an alternative to Donald Trump.
Yet right now the US president is no longer seen as the most pressing threat to national security. The coronavirus crisis has temporarily turned the US presidential election into a sideshow.
Continue reading...Florida, Illinois, Arizona go to polls against backdrop of emergency measures and disruption that have cancelled Ohio primary
It was an unprecedented move to cancel the Ohio primaries at the 11th hour due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Republican Governor Mike DeWine failed to get a judge to halt the primary Monday evening, even though he contended the election results wouldn’t be viewed as legitimate in light of the pandemic.
“Democrats now must to find a way to complete this primary given the uncertainty of when each state is going to vote and whether we’re even going to be able to have a convention in July.”
That was veteran Democratic consultant Simon Rosenberg yesterday reflecting the reality that the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak in the US is now so severe that there’s a real possibility that Democrats will have to rearrange their whole plan for nominating a challenger to Donald Trump.
Related: Three states hold primaries as coronavirus upends 2020 election
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Utah senator Mitt Romney appeared to endorse a key component of Democratic presidential platforms Monday: a living wage - if only temporarily.
NEW from @MittRomney:
“Every American adult should immediately receive $1,000 to help ensure families and workers can meet their short-term obligations and increase spending in the economy.”
Thank you Andrew Yang.
But...but...socialism!
Here’s what you may have missed in the rush:
Continue reading...Donald Trump urged Americans to refrain from panic-buying basic supplies during the coronavirus pandemic as the administration announced plans to expand testing for the virus.
'You don't have to buy so much', the US president said during a press briefing at the White House on Sunday evening, adding that people should 'take it easy. Just relax'
Continue reading...A summary of the biggest developments in the global coronavirus outbreak
Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include:
Continue reading...Donald Trump is “strongly considering a full pardon” for Michael Flynn, his first national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his dealings with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office.
Flynn cut a deal as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian election interference and links between Trump and Moscow.
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